Garment hem construction



Nov. 18, 1969 s. KAUFMAN GARMENT HEM CONSTRUCTION Filed March 25, 1969 FIGZ FIGB

FIGA

R. mm W V mm L E U M 5 United States Patent O 3,47 8,366 GARMENT HEM CONSTRUCTION Samuel Kaufman, 1491 Shore Parkway, Brooklyn, N Y. 11214 Filed Mar. 25, 1969, Ser. No. 810,116 Int. Cl. A41d 1/22, 1/00; A41b 7/00 U.S. Cl. 2-74 7 ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE Claims The invention is concerned with the construction of a y material is folded inside the hem and holds the material y I of the garment preventing it from deforming when the hem fold is made and the hem pressed in.

Background The invention is in the field of tailoring, and more particularly relates to a method of constructing the hem of a coat or dress, so that the hem will take on and hold a more perfect shape during the life of the garment.

In the past, when garments were hemmed, the required folding and curving of the material of the garment has caused it to break contours, as by a buckle or bend, when worn. Deformation may also take the form of stretching or shrinking, when the garment is cleaned, the net effect of which is to leave the garment with an uneven hem. Such deformation makes proper pressing most difficult frequently causing formation of unwanted creases in the hem area.

An objective of the invention is to provide a hem which overcomes the aforementioned difficulties, and which does not stretch or deform when subjected to repeated cleansing and pressing processes.

Another objective of the invention is to provide support along a hem fold of a garment, which support is resilient but not deformable. m

Another objective of the invention is to provide a method of installing bias material in the hem of a garment whereby the aforementioned objectives are achieved.

A further objective of the invention is to provide a ICC Other objectives, advantages, and various further features of novelty and invention will `be pointed out or will occur to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 'v

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a garment having hems constructed in accordance with the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of a hem of the invention taken along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a plan View of a strip of bias cloth preconditioned for installation in a hem of the invention.

` FIGURE 4 illustrates a portion of a hem of the invention prior to the making of the hem fold.

FIGURE 5 illustrates the portion of a hem of the invention illustratedin FIGURE 3 during the making of the hem fold.

Detailed description of the drawings FIGURE 1 illustrates a typical garment having hems constructed in accordance with the invention. A garment method of installing bias material in the hemsof garments v Summary Basically, the invention is in the constructionI of a garment hem and the method of achieving the same. The invention comprises aflixing a band of resilient bias material along a projected hemline of the garment, and inside the fold of the hem. The bias material is folded along the hemline, together with the material of the garment, when the hem is formed, and creased together with the material of the garment when the hem is pressed.

A principal advantage of the invention is that hems constructed in accordance with its teachings are extraordinarily resistant to any type of deformation.

Another advantage of the invention is that the construction called for by the invention requires little or no additional material or workmanship over that ordinarily required in hemming a garment.

A further advantage of the invention is that its benelits may be realized with little or no additional cost to that previously incurred in the production of garments.

Still another advantage of the method of the invention is that the construction thereof can be accomplished with blind stitching.

1 is illustrated, having a bottom hem and cuff hems, designated generally by shaded areas 2 and 3 respectively, which hems are constructed in accordance with the teaching of the invention. The hems of the invention as embodied in the garment 1 of FIGURE 1, are entirely blind stitched, so that no stitching is exposed on the exterior of the garment.

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of a completed y hem 2 of the invention along the bottom of the garment 1. A ply 4 along the bottom edge of the material of garment 1 is inturned along a hem fold line 5 and stitched to an outer ply 8 of garment 1 with blind stitches 6. A strip of bias material 7 is secured to the garment along the hemlineL 5, as hereinafter described and is folded with and lies within the hem 2 between plies 4 and 8. The inturned ply 4 of the hem 2 is stitched to ply 8 along a line 9 which lies inside or above the innermost edge 10 of bias material 7 so that the bias material 7 is attached to the garment 1 only along the hemline 5.

` The invention will be most easily understood from a step-by-step description of theL construction of a hem according to the invention. FIGURE 3 illustrates a strip of bias material prior to being sewn in position within hem 2. The strip of bias material 7 is first gently pulled or stretched lengthwise as indicated by arrows 12 on FIGURE 3, sufficiently to render it resilient but no longer deformable along its longitudinal axis. Those skilled in the art will realize that bias material by nature is to a certain extent both deformable and resilient, in that it may be deformed to a degree without a tendency to return to its original shape, but if stretched beyond this point will be resilient and returned t0 the deformed state. By gently stretching bias material 7 as previously de scribed, it is rendered no longer deformable along its longitudinal axis, but remains resilient along that axis. At the same time, the generally deformable characteristics of bias material are preserved with respect to the ability of strip 7 to conform to the curvature normally required of a hem.

FIGURE 4 illustrates a preferred method of attaching the prepared bias material 7 within the hem 2, prior to the making of the hem fold. A strip of bias material 7, such as canvas or buckram, pre-stretched as above described, is laid along the hemline 5, and blind stitched to garment 1, preferably with a blind stitching machine. The blind stitches 14 angle acutely across the hemline 5, dipping into the material of the garment 1 on one side of hemline 5 and emerging on the other; without passing through the garment 1. With the bias material 7 sewn in place, ply 4 is folded over making the hem fold.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view looking into and along a hem of the invention as the hem fold is made. The hem fold is made along hemline 5. The sewn-in strip of bias material 7 rests in interface contact with the material of the garment 1 through the hem fold 16, and along interior surfaces of ply 4 and ply 8. Bias material 7 is sewn to the material of the garment 1 only in the immediate area of the hem fold 16; so that it is free to conform to the curvature of the hem when the garment is assembled. With the hem fold complete, inturned ply 4 is then stitched to garment 1 along line 9. The hem 2 thus formed may be pressed without fear of stretching the hem.

A hem thus constructed will retain its shape far better than hems constructed by prior art methods, as it is supported and strengthened along the hemline by the bias material. The hemline 5 is thus prevented from shifting, eliminating buckles, Wrinkles and seam misalignment formerly caused by stretching and deformation of the hem.

While the principles of the invention have been described in connection with the above specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A garment having a hem comprised of a ply of the material of the garment adjacent an edge thereof folded adjacent the outer body of the garment, said fold being made along a hem fold line, and stitching retaining the edge of the folded portion thereof to the outer body of the garment,

a strip of bias cut material enclosed Within the fold of said hem, but free of said stitching, said bias material being folded along said hem fold line and held in interface contact with the material of said garment along the hem fold line, and

means attaching said strip of bias material to the material of the garment along the hem fold line.

2. The garment of claim 1 wherein said strip of bias material is pre-stretched longitudinally and generally along the hem fold line prior to being attached to the material of the garment, to a state where it is no longer longitudinally deformable along the hem fold line but remains resilient.

3. The garment of claim 2 wherein said means to attach said strip of bias material to the material of the garment along the hem fold line comprises blind stitching from the inside of the garment, the individual stitches of which are oriented at an acute angle to the hem fold line.

4. The garment of ,.claim, 3. wherein the stitches of said blind stitching enter the material of said garment on one side of the hem fold line and emerge upon the other side.

5. A method of hemming a garment comprising the steps of pre-stretching a strip of bias cut material lengthwise to a state where it is no longer longitudinally deformable but remains resilient,

laying the strip of pre-stretched bias material along and across the inside of a projected hemline of a garment,

attaching the strip of pre-stretched bias material to the material of the garment substantially along a projected hem fold line,

folding the garment along the projected hemline with the bias material on the inside of the fold,

stitching the inturned ply of the hem fold to the outer garment along a line parallel to the hem fold line but spaced from the strip of bias cut.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of attaching the bias material to the material of the garment cornprises the step of blind stitching the bias material to the material of the garment With stitches running across the projected hemline.

7. The method of claim 6 further including the step of creasing the material of the garment and the bias material attached thereto along the hem fold line after making the hem fold, and thereby setting the hem in the stretched position of said bias cut material which holds the material of the garment in place.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 830,481 9/1906 Lewis 112-425 1,210,083 12/1916 Knower i12-425 XR 1,575,357 3/1926 Milner 2-274 2,010,349 8/ 1935 Cooper 2-74 3,054,114 9/ 1962 Sherman 2211 3,333,280 8/1967 Hynek et al. 2-243 FOREIGN PATENTS 420,940 12/ 1934 `Great Britain.

H. HAMPTON HUNTER, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. XR. 2 98, 123, 243, 274; 1l2-267, 419, 425 

